<p>CHICAGO – (Nov. 20, 2018) – The Greenbuild International Conference &amp; Expo, presented by the U.S. Green Building Council&nbsp;(USGBC) and owned and operated by Informa Exhibitions, concluded last week in Chicago, where thousands of members of the global green building community gathered.</p>
<p>The theme for this year’s Greenbuild was <em>Human X Nature</em>, representing how the green building movement embraces all of humanity by making sustainable buildings and environments accessible to everyone while benefitting the natural environment all around us.</p>
<p>During the Opening Plenary, human rights lawyer and humanitarian <strong>Amal Clooney</strong> delivered an impactful keynote that discussed her work and reminded attendees the role the green building community plays in addressing today’s challenges: “Despite [these] challenges, I am optimistic. Because all around the world I see that even where governments fall behind, individuals and companies can make a difference,” said Clooney.</p>
<p>USGBC’s President and CEO <strong>Mahesh Ramanujam</strong> also gave powerful remarks highlighting plans for the future and USGBC’s role in creating a new living standard for all people: “In the past, we have delivered on our promises of certifications, signifying high quality spaces in which we can live and work,” said Ramanujam. “Now, by harnessing the power of our partnerships with companies and organizations the world over, we will explore creating a new campaign – a Living Standard&nbsp;that indicates that an environment is healthy and safe for all who inhabit it – from buildings, to communities, to cities, to entire nations. Because a higher <strong>Living Standard</strong> is what every person on the planet deserves.”</p>
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<p>Concrete driveways require a lot less maintenance. You want to keep them nice and clean. But more importantly, you want to be sure you fill up any cracks you might have, especially a crack like this. Now, this is called a cold joint, where this slab and this slab were poured at different times. And no matter what you do, it’s going to crack.</p>
<p>Now, here’s what’s important about sealing that crack up, is that if you allow rain to get in this crack, sooner or later it’s going to affect the integrity of the soil below it. This will start settling and cracking, I’ve seen it a hundred times.</p>
<p>Here’s all you have to do is take a screwdriver, and just kind of scratch away at any debris you may have in the crack. Then, a wire brush to really clean it up really well. And then use a whisk broom. Or, I’ll tell you what, a leaf blower works really well on this as well. </p>
<p>Then, the important thing is a concrete repair caulk, this particular one is a self-leveling. And on a crack like this, you basically are just filling it in, and making it nice and flat.</p>
<p>Now, that works well on a crack like this. But if you have a crack that’s a little larger – for some reason on this side, it’s a little larger than on that side – you’ll need this extra step.</p>
<p>It’s a backer rod, and you use this anytime you’re caulking anything on the outside of your house that’s larger than say a quarter inch or three-eighths. And here, I’m going to put it down in the crack, like that. Screwdriver, push it down about a half-inch. Then, I’ll caulk right over it, just like I did the smaller crack.</p>
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<strong>Chelsea Lipford Wolf</strong> is a born-and-raised home enthusiast, adding her crafty skills and passion for DIY as co-host of the top-rated, nationally syndicated “Today’s Homeowner” TV show.
<p>In addition, Chelsea maintains her own home lifestyle and d&eacute;cor blog and award-winning web-series, “<strong></strong></p> - Comments: 0